6:01 pm, March 20, 2020
In the latest move by industry suppliers to help dealers, What Car? has announced free subscriptions to its New Car Buying platform.
Car dealers and manufacturers will be given free access to the site from April to the end of June and those currently using the solution will not be charged for access.
Rachael Prasher, Managing Director, Haymarket Automotive
Rachael Prasher, managing director of What Car?’s parent company, Haymarket Automotive, said she believed it was the ‘right thing to do, for the industry and for us’.
She said: ‘I’ve heard it said a lot in the last few days but we are all in this together. A thriving car buying marketplace needs a thriving car industry and this is one immediate way we can work together to keep the pipeline of buyers stocked up, even if that pipeline is slower to convert than usual.
‘Today the sense of shock and turmoil feels profound, but there is evidence that strong planning now can mitigate shock later.’
Prasher explained there would be no contractual tie-in as part of the offer either. Car dealers who are interested in taking up the offer can find out more at https://whatcar-dealers.com/
She added: ‘China is seeing tentative but encouraging signs of recovery after sales dramatically slowed at the start of the year, and we’re still seeing traffic and interest from consumers here.
‘We all hope any disruption will be short-term and we intend to be available as part of the solution for automotive retailers and manufacturers.’
What Car? Editorial director Jim Holder has written about how there has been hope in the Chinese car industry since the outbreak – and steps like this free offer, he says, will help the industry rebound.
When business does pick up there will be a surge of pent-up demand
– Jim Holder, Editorial Director, What Car?
He said: ‘Every day the What Car? site is visited by tens of thousands of would-be car buyers, researching their next car and ready to talk to dealers.
‘While we expect interest to ebb and flow according to the news agenda, we also expect from investigating evidence from markets around the world that when business does pick up there will be a surge of pent-up demand.
‘It is great that our site is ready for that and that we’ll have more dealers than ever ready to give consumers great buying experiences.’
In recent years What Car? has invested heavily in its digital infrastructure with the development of its e-commerce platform that lets users act on the trusted advice What Car? offers by chatting online to car dealers through the website.
Users are guaranteed to be able to buy their chosen car at What Car?’s Target Price discount, which is established by mystery shoppers and updated daily.
What Car? has more than 5.5 million monthly points of contact with its audience on the move, at work, at home and at the crucial point of sale. It is the top performing monthly on the UK newsstand in the motoring category.
